there are no laws. the laws here are garbage. >> suarez: those challenges notwithstanding, president chavez enjoys all the advantages of his 14 years in office, including control of the media, fear of reprisals among voters, and a hand in the deep pockets of the state-run oil company, petroleos de venezuela s.a., from which he draws both welfare payments for the poor and funds for his campaign. >> ( translated ): before, there was nothing. my grandma was too old, she had never received a pension. then, this government came, and thanks to it, god and the president, she has her pension. >> suarez: for much of the year, polls have shown chavez with a double-digit lead over capriles. but as election day approaches, the race has narrowed. >> the election is tightening, but what remains constant is the number of people who are undecided. >> suarez: diana negroponte is a senior fellow at the brookings institution in washington. she says, following the 2004 regional elections in venezuela, some who voted agains